20110318

Rob English is a custom bike/frame builder with a simple philosophy; "that the rider is causing most of the drag, therefore the most important thing is to get the rider into the most aerodynamic position as possible". Of course a bike (and its components) must play a major role in the science of aerodynamics, but the key point is the rider's position to cut as much drag as possible. Rob's material of choice, steel. "And don't think my steel bikes will be heavy" Rob claims, "my race bike weighs in at 11.5lbs.... I use tubing from True Temper, Reynolds and Dedacciai, with fillet brazed construction"

Custom handlebars

Going lower and maintaining a traditional position was optimal so he decided to run a “negative” mounted handlebar setup. The handlebar is therefore incorporated into the top of the fork, below the lower headset race, leaving the top of the head tube looking pretty bare with a Chris King headset on display. The resulting effect is that the rider has an ultra low, super aerodynamic, powerful TT position...

Custom brakes

Rob didn’t take a standard brake, mount it backwards and then attach a tight brake noodle too it as we see in so many TT bikes. Rob actually went out of the way to create two different brake designs, going as far as using completely different mounting styles. The front brake, a single bolt design, uses a pulley and a pinch bolt to “scissor” the brakes closed (weighing in at a scant 66 grams).

The rear brake mounts more like the old U brakes but completely practical and out of the way as to avoid causing any drag.

Internally Routed Cables

Cables are routed internally, completely out of the way of the rider and the wind (amazing attention to details).

Custom Hidden Hubs

The idea here is to hide the spokes from the air as much as possible, to make the wheels as aerodynamic as possible, while retaining control over it in windy conditions. The width, from flange to flange, is a scant 32mm. Loaded with tried-and-true 6900 bearings, the hub (more as a side effect than anything intentional) weighs a feathery 66 grams.